Hidden Past
by Violet Rose of Darkness
Summary: Chase has his parents, Bren's family lives far away, Beyal was raised by monks, and Dax was orphaned at a young age. But what about Jinja? What secret is she hiding from her friends? And what happens when that secret comes back to haunt her? And what will she do when someone finds out? T for mentions of abuse
1. Chapter 1

**My attempt at resurrecting the mostly dead Monsuno fandom.**

OoOoOo

 _Pain._

 _That was the only thing that came to mind when the young girl opened her eyes. She felt it surging through her body, so much so that she could hardly stand up. When she did manage to pull herself to her feet, she nearly toppled to the ground, her head spinning. Luckily, she caught herself on the wall just in time. She forced herself to swallow the bit of vile she felt creeping up her throat. It wouldn't do well to get sick, it would just get her in even more trouble_

* * *

"Jin? _Jinja_!"

Jinja winced violently, turning to the person calling her and shaking her shoulder with wide, fearful eyes, then relaxed when she saw who it was. "Oh, hey Chase," she muttered, relieved. For one, terrifying second, she thought she was back _there_. "What's up?" She was startled to see how perceptive he seemed right then. Usually, he was so oblivious, looking over every crucial detail. Now, it looked like he was taking in every aspect of something. _Me,_ she realized, panicked.

"Jin, are you okay?" Chase asked her, concern lacing his voice.

Jinja nodded quickly (maybe a little _too_ quickly). "Of course," she answered, a fake smile plastered on her face. _Liar,_ she hissed at herself. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Chase looked a bit sheepish and she knew she was steering him away from the truth. "Well, you don't usually blank like that," he pointed out. "Something wrong?"

Admittedly, a part of Jinja wanted to give in and tell him everything. She'd been harboring this damn secret for too long and everyday she felt it get heavier and heavier in her chest. She knew she would have to tell someone eventually. But at the same time, her more rational half knew it would be selfish of her. Chase just got his parents back, Dax lost _his_ parents, Beyal was raised by monks, and Bren... Well, Bren dealt with enough pressure from his family already.

So, she did what she always did and hid under her façade. "Nothing's wrong. Everything's perfect."

Chase still looked unsure, but decided to trust her and nodded. "Okay then, if you're sure..." He decided to change the subject. "Well, Ace said we could all go out tonight."

Jinja's eyes lit up. " _Really_?"

Chase laughed at her excited expression. "Yeah, we're leaving in about an hour," he told her, then grimaced. "Strike' Squad's coming with us too." It was no secret that his distaste for their 'rivals' wasn't completely gone, which was understandable. It was hard to call a group of people who have tried to kill you on multiple occasions friends. "Well, they're going out, not sure if they'll be with us or not."

Jinja giggled, not having a problem with the other team herself. They were just like them, only different. It was hard to explain. "Well, I'll be ready in about forty five minutes." She stood up and turned away. "See you, Chase."

Chase smiled at her retreating form. "Yeah, see you, Jin." Though, as she walked away he couldn't help the nagging feeling in his stomach that she wasn't telling him something.

OoOoOo

Jinja mentally berated herself as she made her way to her room. She nearly spilled everything, to _Chase_ of all people. She could understand if it was Beyal, he just had that affect on people. But _Chase_? She must be losing her touch. Shaking her head, she punched in the pin code and entered her room. Pulling out Sighing, Jinja began to discard her clothing.

Daring to turn around, she winced at the sight of her bare body. Scars may heal, but they never completely go away. Light, pink lines from cuts and faded, but visible bruises littered her skin, standing out against her pale tone. Jinja clenched her fist before taking a nearby brush and flinging it against the wall as hard as she could, breaking it in half and leaving a small dent in the metal wall.

She collapsed on her bed, tears threatening to fall. It just wasn't _fair_! She escaped, she had taken her freedom on her own. So _why_ did this still haunt her? Why did she allow _them_ to control her life? Jinja massaged her temples with her fingers, trying to calm herself down. She wasn't there anymore. She was with her friends, she was a STORM elite, she was alright.

There was a knock at her door. "Jinja? Everything alright?"

Jinja froze for half a second before sighing in relief. She knew that accent anywhere. It was Tango, just Tango. Pulling a robe over herself, she answered it. "Tango," she greeted with a nod. "What can I do for you?"

"I heard a bang," Tango told her. "I thought you were being attacked."

Of course she heard. The girls had rooms on the opposite side of the boys, which meant that they were practically neighbors. Jinja forced the corners of her mouth to turn upwards. "I tripped and my brush flew out of my hand and into the wall," she lied. "Sorry I worried you."

Tango, being a lot smarter than Chase, gave her a once over before stating quite bluntly, "You're lying."

Jinja blushed furiously, taken off guard by the statement. "What? No-"

Tango held up a hand, cutting her off. "Stop. You do not have to explain yourself to me." With that, she walked away.

 _That was weird,_ thought Jinja before shaking her head. _Whatever, not my problem._ She retreated back into her room, getting herself ready for her night out with her friends. She'd never been dressed up in front of them before, not even Chase and Bren. Back when they were younger, she hadn't been interested in clothes or makeup and they didn't really have time for that stuff running from STORM, Eklipse, and others.

Based on what Chase had told her, this wasn't anything to fancy. Just a night out on the town with friends. So she opted for black leggings and a loose blue crop top finished off with a black leather and black ankle boots. She had to admit, working for STORM had some perks such as indoor plumbing, and earning enough money to be able to buy something other than what she had been wearing for the last two years.

Jinja looked at herself in the mirror, satisfied with how she looked. She didn't bother putting on much makeup besides a little mascara, just combed her hair (she would have brushed it had the brush been available at the moment) and put it into a high ponytail. She smiled slightly at herself. It was little moments likes these when she could do whatever she wanted with herself that reminded her that she was _free_.

Jinja checked the clock, noticing that it was almost eight o'clock. "Crag," she muttered. She took one more look at herself before rushing out the door. She saw Chase, Bren, Beyal, and Dax waiting for her, all in casual clothing. Even Beyal was no longer sporting his usual robe.

"Hey, guys," she greeted, walking towards them. She looked around, not noticing the rival team anywhere. "Where's Strike Squad?"

Dax shrugged. "Left 'bout half an hour ago, Princess," he told her. "Don't know where, don't care either."

"Ah, forget about those posers, Jin," said Bren, a dorky grin on his face. "Tonight is all about us!"

Jinja raised an eyebrow, a smirk gracing her lips. "Wow, Bren, _you're_ ready for a night out and not spent on your tablet?" she teased. "Huh, I guess everyone has a different side to them." She knew that more than anyone.

Bren matched her smirk. "And I never thought I'd see you with _makeup_ on, Jin," he commented. "What other secrets are you hiding?"

Jinja tensed, that last comment hitting a little too close to home. What did he know? She forced another smirk on her face as to not arouse any suspicion. "That's for me to know and you to never find out." At least that was close to the truth.

"Pardon me, my friends," spoke Beyal. "but it is getting quite late. Should we not go now?"

Chase nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's go!" he urged them.

"Where are we going anyway, Chase?" asked Jinja.

Dax smirked. "Miracle, Princess," he answered.

"You mean the _club_?"

OoOoOo

Whoever said going to clubs was fun, lied.

It was loud. That was the first thing Jinja noticed when she walked in. In fact, it was so blaringly loud that she had to shout just to be heard by her friends who were mere inches away from her. Another thing, it was crowded. People were hot and sweaty and their bodies were way too close to hers. The whole place reeked of alcohol and sweat. Just not the best experience for her.

Dax had obviously been in places like these before and easily shifted into the crowd. Chase, always one for fun, started to dance his way through it, disappearing as well. Beyal and Bren looked as uncomfortable as her, which was honestly a bit of a relief. She was usually one of the more outgoing ones of her group. She was never usually this awkward.

Inhaling deeply, Jinja made her way into the crowd dancing like these doubts in her mind weren't there. She was actually beginning to enjoy herself, even going as far as to sing with the song at the top of her lungs along with everyone else. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, but she didn't care. She was actually having fun... until she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen.

Her eyes widening, she tried to ignore it. She tried to push it to the back of her mind and just enjoy the time she was having with her friends. Unfortunately, her body had other plans. Before she knew it, she was on the ground. No one seemed to notice her, too occupied with their dancing. She was finding it hard to breathe now, like something was crushing her chest. She could feel herself fading away, the darkness overtaking her.

" _JINJA_!"

 _I know that voice..._ thought Jinja as she felt herself being lifted off the floor, but could not place her finger on who it was. She had no idea where whoever it was was taking her, but she was glad to get away from the noise. She felt the cold, brisk air touch her skin and welcomed it. It was getting hot in there anyway. She was sat down on what she assumed was a bench, held up by strong, comforting arms.

"Jin? Can you hear me?"

Now she was sure she knew that voice. Jinja opened her eyes to meet concern-filled sea green ones and sighed in relief. "Chase..."

Chase looked relieved as well, smiling widely at her. "Crag, Jin, you scared me," he admitted, brushing a few stray hairs behind her ear. "Are you okay? What happened?"

This threw Jinja off guard. Never in her seven years of knowing him had she ever seen him this... tender. She must have really scared him if he was acting like this. "I-I'm okay," she lied yet again. "Just... too many people. Claustrophobic."

Chase gave her the same look he did this morning and she was sure she didn't like it. She didn't like people trying to see through her, it made her uncomfortable. "Jin, how stupid do you think I am?" He didn't seem mad, just worried.

Jinja was visibly thrown back by this. "I-I don't." She knew Chase wasn't stupid. A goofball, sure, but not stupid. "Y-You're not."

"Then why did you think I'd fall for two lies in one day?"

Jinja's eyes widened as she sat up straight. "Y-You knew I was lying this morning?" she stuttered. Chase may not be an idiot, but she was sure he believed her this morning. "H-How-"

"Jin, I always know when you're lying," Chase told her. "You're right eyebrow twitches slightly."

Now Jinja was sure she was blushing. He paid attention to her that much? "I-" She was about to say something, another damn lie no doubt, when she winced in pain, clutching at her abdomen.

Chase's eyes trailed down to her stomach to see blood gushing out. "Oh my god!" he yelled, taking off his jacket and pressing it to her wound, trying to stop the blood from flowing. He took out his earpiece and began to yell something into it. She honestly had no idea what he was saying because her hearing was starting to fade as well as her vision.

She saw Chase look back at her. "Jin, stay with me," he urged her. Never in her life has she heard Chase Suno sound so... terrified. It was enough to scare her. "Jinja, I need you to keep your eyes open."

"Hurts," Jinja uttered softly.

Chase took her limping body and cradled it to her chest. "Shh, I know it does," he murmured into her ear comfortingly. She wanted to keep her eyes open, she really did. But the pain was too much. It felt like the very life was being sucked out of her. Her eyes eventually fluttered shut, Chase's desperate yells for her to stay awake fading away.

The last thing on her mind was that they she would never be free. _They_ still controlled her life.

OoOoOo

 **Who misses this show? I do. Man, back when Nicktoons used to be original. Monsuno, NFL Rush Zone, and Voltron Force weren't the best shows around, but they were apart of my goddamn childhood and way better than the crap on now. All three shows have room for another season that these damn executives won't give us.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked it! I felt like Jinja's backstory was never fully explained in the show for some odd reason... Or, at least I can't remember it being elaborated on. So I thought I'd delve into her past. Please tell me what you thought with a review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to chapter two! Just so you know, I made Jinja's current last name Kay, but that's not her birth name. Anyway, please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

 _She was so close, **so close**. Just a few more yards and she would finally be free. The corners of her mouth turn up as she made it to the edge of the property. Just a little closer... She could see the gate and felt her stomach jump - in a delightful way. She ran faster harder, ignoring the harsh wind slapping against her face or thorns from the various plants around scratching at her bare legs. It would all be worth it when she escaped._

 _She was finally at the fence. It wasn't too high, just low enough for her to climb. Her heart was practically bursting from her chest as she made contact with the metal barrier separating her from her freedom, she screeched in pain. Her hands felt like it would burn off. Of course, she realized as she felt herself begin to black out. The fence is electric. How could she have been so **stupid**?_

 _"Tsk, tsk, foolish girl," purred a voice. "You didn't think it would be that easy to escape us, did you?" The last thing she saw was **his** smirking face. One day I'll wipe that goddamn smirk off his face, she thought as unconsciousness took over her._

* * *

Jinja's eyes snapped open as she lurched out of bed, letting out an ear-piecing screech. She felt her heart beating hard against her chest as she panted heavily. She looked around her surroundings and noticed she wasn't even in her quarters, she was in the STORM infirmary, an IV inserted into her arms. _Why the hell am I here?_ she thought. _What happened-?_ And that's when she felt it. The pain in her lower abdomen.

Everything came flooding back to her all at once. The club, falling on the floor, and... "Chase," she spoke aloud, her voice coming out raspy from not using it. It dawned on her that he must have called in STORM when they were at the club so they could bring her here and get her treatment.

She heard a sigh of relief and turned to see said teenager in a chair next to her bed. "Jin," he said, moving closer to her bed, smiling brightly while taking her hand in his right one. Though she could tell that her screams must have just woke him up. "You're okay."

Jinja tried to match his smile, but it came out more as a grimace. "Chase, what happened?" she asked.

"You passed out at the club," he told her. Chase suddenly looked apprehensive, as if he was afraid that he would say something wrong and risk upsetting her. "I called in an emergency and they brought you here. They also examined you..."

She felt her heart race again. If they examined her, they must know about every injury she'd sustained over the years. And since her family was... 'unavailable,' at the moment, the doctors would most definitely tell Chase and the rest of her friends what exactly was wrong with her. "A-And?"

Chase sighed, running his left hand through his hand while still holding hers. "Jinja, you had at least three broken bones that never healed right and multiple bruises all over your body," he told her.

Jinja feigned surprise, desperate to hold onto all the lies she had built up over the years. "Really? Wow, I knew our job was dangerous, but-"

Chase gave her a look, making her stop immediately. "Crag, Jinja, just stop."

Jinja winced at his tone. It wasn't harsh, more like a mix of disappointed and exasperated. "I'm sorry," she muttered, lowering her head.

Chase looked at her in confusion. "Why are you apologizing?" he asked.

She felt tears well up in her eyes, only adding to her embarrassment. "I-I've been lying to you guys for years," she revealed. "E-ever since I met you and Bren." It just wasn't fair.

He looked at her, though he wasn't angry or even hurt. "It's okay," he said softly. And for some reason, she believed him. "The guys have been in and out of here too, just so you know." He looked a little sheepish, a light blush dusting his face. "I never left your side."

"How long have I been out?"

Chase shrugged. "About a week," he answered.

Jinja's eyes went wide. "You been sitting here for a _week_?" She turned her attention to the uncomfortable looking chair. "In _that_?" She felt her heart flutter at the thought of him opting to sit in that chair instead of his comfortable bed just to watch over her. _Get a hold of yourself,_ she mentally scolded herself.

He shrugged again. "It's not so bad," he lied. "It was worth it."

Jinja smiled at him, but it twisted into a frown. "Do the others know?" she asked.

Chase shook his head. "Only about your broken rib," he answered. "They don't know about... everything else."

Jinja sighed in relief. She could deal with the other three later. For now, she could focus on explaining things to the boy in front of her. "I'm guessing you must have questions, huh?" Stupid question, of course he did.

Chase nodded quickly. "Yeah... Jin, how did you get hurt so bad?" he asked. "I know we get hurt sometimes, but the rest of us don't have bruises like that. The doctor said they're really old too... Older than when we were looking for my dad."

Jinja's eyes shifted nervously, not bothering to comment on the fact that he saw her . "Well, you know how I said I lied to you and Bren when we first met?" At his nod, she continued, "Well, part of what I told you was true. I _did_ run away. But just not from the group home."

"Then where?"

Jinja sighed. "My parents. I lied when I said they died when I was a baby."

Chase's eyes went wide. "What? Why?" Realization suddenly flashed in his sea green orbs. "They _hurt_ you?" Why _anyone_ want to hurt Jinja was beyond him, but her own _parents_ of all people? He almost couldn't believe it. He knew neither of his own parents would never lay a finger on him, so the idea that someone else's would was unfathomable.

Jinja nodded, her own eyes avoiding everywhere but him. "Yeah. See, they weren't the most... mentally stable people. But they had a lot of money, so they could get away with it." She chuckled humorlessly. "I don't think anyone even knew I existed. And if they did, they were either too afraid of my parents or they just didn't care."

Chase quickly swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. He wouldn't let her see him cry when she wasn't even shedding a tear. He had nothing to cry over, this happened to _her_. He couldn't even begin to imagine how she felt. "W-When did it start?"

Jinja was quiet for a moment before sighing heavily. "The earliest I can remember is when I was six, but it could have been earlier I guess," she replied.

She had this kind of emptiness in her eyes that scared him. And the nonchalant way she was going about explaining it terrified him. Chase could hardly bring himself to talk. "How did you escape?" he asked in what he hoped was a clear voice.

Jinja gave him a grin and he felt his heart get lighter, if only by a little bit. "I did what I always do," she told him proudly, the girl he had known for seven years shining through this girl he found he barely knew. "I outsmarted them."

Chase managed to grin back at her. "I figured as much," he commented.

Her grin fell. "I really am sorry," she told him, sincerity dripping from her lips. She felt guilty not only for lying to him for years, but for worrying him and everyone else.

"Why didn't you tell us?" he asked her. "I'm not mad, you have every right to keep that to yourself. But... do you not trust m- _us_?" He cursed himself for that little slip-up.

Jinja shook her head furiously. " _No_!" she nearly shouted, making him jump slightly. "I _do_ trust you guys, I just-" She inhaled sharply. "I didn't want you all to think any less of me. You know, as weak or a victim."

Chase took her into his arms, hugging her gently as to not cause her more pain. "Oh, Jin, you know that would _never_ happen," he insisted. "You're the toughest person I've ever met."

Jinja smiled at him. "Well, thanks Chase."

Chase smiled back at her before remembering something. "Oh, crag. I was supposed to get the doctor when you woke up." He meant to, but they had just been talking so long that it just slipped his mind.

Jinja giggled; some things just never changed. "Well, maybe you should go get her now," she suggested.

Chase rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, I'll do that." He shuffled out the door, slightly apprehensive about leaving her side after what had just been side. He knew, however, that her health came before anything else, so he set off to find the doctor. Jinja shook her head after him. _He's a_ g _oofball._

As he left, she began to contemplate her decision to tell him the truth. Was it the right choice? She wasn't sure. But she did know that she felt a little better getting it off her chest. Maybe everything would be alright. Maybe now, she could begin to heal.

 _Foolish child, you know that will never happen,_ his voice sounded in her head. She clenched her teeth; no matter how many years she'd been free of them, they always had a their grip on her. _Nothing's changed. You'll always belong to us._

 _We'll see,_ thought Jinja, her eyes narrowing in determination.

OoOoOo

"Well, Miss Kay, you seem to be well enough to go back to your room," the doctor told her after half an hour of physical tests. Even though three of her bones never healed properly, there wasn't anything more the doctors could do about that. Her injury had been from a broken rib she'd sustained years ago. She'd fractured it by dancing so much. "Just try not to overexert yourself for at least a week."

Chase nudged her good side. "That means no missions, Jin," he teased her.

Jinja glared at him. "Oh, shut up, Suno." He only snickered at her in response.

"There is one more thing, Miss Kay," said the doctor, amused at the bickering she was seeing between the two teenagers. "There's a couple waiting outside to see you, they claim to be your parents."

Jinja tensed, looking at Chase with panic written all over her face. _Don't let them take me,_ her eyes begged him. She hated asking for help, but what else could she do? She couldn't take them on her own and Chase was the only one who knew.

 _Never,_ Chase's eyes promised. He'd be damned if he let those monsters lay another _finger_ on her. If they so much as touched a strand of hair on her head... He took her hand in his and caressed her knuckles, hoping his action came off as reassuring.

"Send them away," Jinja insisted calmly and he was proud at how well she managed to keep a straight face. "I don't want to see them."

The doctor studied her for a moment before nodding. "Very well, Miss Kay," she agreed.

Jinja blinked. "Really?" She hadn't expected that to work. She had expected some bullshit about how they were her only relatives and had legal access to her or some crap like that.

The doctor nodded. She wasn't an idiot, she knew signs of abuse when she saw them. "Of course. You are eighteen, a legal adult and a STORM elite. If you don't want your parents here, we will send them away."

Jinja sighed in relief. "Thank you."

The doctor smiled. "No problem, sweetheart. Let me go handle that problem now." She gave the girl a very reassuring pat on the shoulder before walking out of the room.

"See?" spoke Chase, sitting beside her once again. "I told you, they'll never touch you again." Jinja smiled and was about to say something when...

"THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!" shouted a deep, threatening voice that made Jinja go completely white in the face. "SHE'S OUR _DAUGHTER_!"

"Father..." whispered Jinja, something passing through her eyes that Chase barely recognized.

They heard the doctor sigh. "Sir, that may be, but she is a legal adult and in the care of STORM," she tried to reason. "As she has chosen not to see you, you are being asked to leave the facility."

"Jinja is just confused, Doctor," a cool, silky voice claimed. Chase wasn't sure how to describe it, but it sounded like a strange, yet very terrifying, mix of Medea and Charlemagne (minus the accent and irritating high pitch, of course). "Once she sees us, she'll calm down."

But the doctor wasn't buying it. "I sincerely doubt that, Mrs. Faustus," she replied, clearly growing irritated. "Now, I'm going to have to ask you to leave or I'll have to call our soldiers on you to escort you out."

Jinja didn't get to hear anymore because the door was shut. " _Chase_!" she protested.

Chase didn't seem fazed as he sat back down in his seat. "You don't need to listen to that," he retorted.

Jinja sighed, knowing he was probably right. "Fine," she conceded. She felt her eyes droop again, no doubt thanks to the pain killers they were still pumping into her system.

Chase noticed this. "You can go to sleep, Jin," he assured her. "I told you, I won't let them touch you. Even if I have to sic Lock on 'em."

Jinja smiled softly and leaned back, feeling sleep overtake her. "Night, Chase," she mumbled.

She was almost positive she felt something warm and soft brush against her forehead. "Goodnight, Jin."

OoOoOo

 **Uh-oh, Jinja's parents are here. What will happen? And before you ask, yes, this ChasexJinja. I loved them as a kid and I _still_ love them! Not that I have a problem with JinjaXDax or BeyalXJinja because I think they're adorable too! I even like JinjaXAlpha (Jinja's very shippable ^_^). Anyway, please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter three! Thanks to all of you for the kind reviews, I appreciate them! Please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

 _"You look very pretty, Mother."_

 _The woman rolled her eyes in disgust as a reply, turning away from the small girl and moving to do her dark hair. "What did we talk about?" she snapped, her voice laced with annoyance and the girl winced, knowing she had messed up. She just hoped she could fix her mistake before things got out of hand like the last time she had done this._

 _The young child hung her head shamefully. "Never speak unless spoken to," she reiterated. "Apologies, Mother."  
_

 _The woman smiled, though it was not the warm, loving smile you'd expect from a mother. No, this one was colder, the corners of the woman's mouth were turned up in satisfaction at the display of obedience. "Very well, darling, all is forgiven."_ _The girl sighed in relief; she was safe. For now. The woman ran a hand through her daughter's brown hair. "Oh, dear..."_

 _The girl's eyes widened in alarm. "Is something wrong, Mother?" She prayed to God that she hadn't done something to upset her mother again._

 _The woman tugged, none too lightly, on the girl's thick, brown locks. "I'm afraid it's your hair, dear... It's horrid." She tutted. "No boy will ever want a girl with hair such as this. Such a shame."_

 _The girl turned away as to not alert her mother that she was crying._

* * *

Jinja's eyes fluttered opened gently, very unlike the previous night. Yet, the tears from her dream had somehow made their way into reality and she wiped at her eyes. While her father had been the one to physically harm her, her mother had done the real damage. Every little remark, every nasty comment had imbedded itself in her mind. When she was older, she realized what a smart move that had been. Putting her down verbally at a young age so that she was less likely to rebel when she was older. Clever. Maybe it would have worked in another life.

She noticed that Chase was asleep, once again, in the chair and gently nudged him. "Chase," she spoke softly, though she didn't know why since they were the only two in the room. "Chase, wake up."

Chase yawned and opened his eyes to meet hers. "Oh, hey Jin," he greeted tiredly, rubbing his neck. She realized that it must have been a result of sleeping in that godawful chair. "What's up?"

Jinja glared at him, ignoring the fluttering feeling in her chest. "Chase Suno, did you spend _another_ night in that thing?" she scolded. "I told you to sleep in your own damn bed."

Chase shrugged. "I got nervous," he admitted. "I was afraid that if I left your side, they'd take you away from m- _us_." Dammit, not again. Why did he keep slipping up like that?

Jinja's cheeks turned pink as she tried not to think about how amazingly _sweet_ that was. "What happened after I fell asleep?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"They tried to convince the doctor to let them see you," Chase told her. "but she was adamant that they leave." He grinned. "She even called in some of the soldiers to escort them out. They weren't too happy about that though."

Jinja tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. "Did they... say anything?"

Chase's eyes shifted nervously. "Nothing you need to worry about," he assured her.

Jinja groaned. "Chase, _don't_ ," she snapped.

"Don't what?"

"Sugarcoat things," the brunette answered crossly, folding her arms over her chest. "I told you, I'm _not_ a victim and I don't need to be protected. I can handle the truth."

Chase raised his hands up in defense. "I didn't say you couldn't. There are just some things that they said that I don't feel comfortable repeating." Jinja sighed, but seemed to except this answer. She looked like she wanted to say more, but was interrupted by the door swinging open.

There Bren stood with Dax and Beyal on either side of him. "Jinja!" he exclaimed, rushing over. "You're okay! I mean..." He cleared his throat, quite embarrassed. "You're okay."

Jinja giggled. "It's good to see you too, knucklehead."

"Gave us a bit of a scare there, Princess," Dax commented, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Alright?"

She smiled and nodded. "Alright," she confirmed.

"It is good to see you are well, Jinja," spoke Beyal.

"Thanks, Beyal." She winced and stared distastefully at the IV that was still in her arm. "Ugh, can one of you tell them to cool it with the painkillers? At this point, I can't even _feel_ my arm." She looked directly at the black haired boy as she said this.

Chase got the memo and stood up, stretching his stiff legs. "I'll do it," he 'volunteered.'

Dax smirked a little. "Surprised you're willing to leave this room, Lil' Suno," he remarked teasingly.

Chase chose to ignore his as she looked over to Jinja. "I'll be right back," he promised her, then glanced at the four guys. "Make sure she doesn't get up for _anything_ , okay? Doctor's orders." He sent a smirk her way before exiting the room.

"What if I have to use the bathroom?" Jinja called after him, to which all the guys laughed. Well, Bren and Dax laughed. Beyal gave a little chuckle due to the fact that he had no idea what was so funny.

OoOoOo

When it came to his feelings surrounding Jinja, Chase was at a lost.

Of course, Chase was at a lost when it came to a lot of things; math, science, politics, etc. But those were things he didn't really care about. And he _definitely_ cared about Jinja. He guessed it had always sort of been there, a little spark between them (at least on his end), since the day they met. It had somewhat quelled itself after they met Beyal and Dax, himself lacking when it came to those two. He knew he'd never be able to compete with the edgy bad boy or the mysterious monk, so he gave up, tried to bury his feelings for her.

Now, however, with the revelation of her troubled past, he felt those feelings resurface tenfold along with some others. He was angry, more angry than he could ever remember feeling. He was also... sad. His heart ached for her. The pain she must have felt growing up, he could hardly imagine it. He wished he could do something to ease her pain, but he couldn't just erase years worth of trauma.

Sighing, he alerted the doctors that Jinja wanted them to ease up on the painkillers before retreating back to her hospital room.

OoOoOo

When Chase returned, he was relived to see her laughing at something that Dax said, which also caused Bren to blush. He deduced it must have had something to do with Tango, seeing as he was sure his brother had a very big crush on her. "They said that they'll lessen the drugs," he announced, making himself known to the four teens.

Jinja noticed him out of the corner of her eye, smiling softly in his direction and he swore his heart skipped a beat. "Thanks, Chase." She pursed her lips. "Sorry I ruined our night out, you guys."

Dax rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid, Princess."

Chase frowned at her. "Jin, you didn't ruin it," he insisted.

"I am just glad you are alright, Jinja," spoke Beyal softly.

Bren nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Jin. You're safety is way more important than a night out."

Jinja seemed to regard them, trying to decipher if they were just saying all that to make her feel better. She finally just accepted what they were saying and smiled. "Okay, then." She looked like she was about to say more when the doctor came into the room.

"Miss Kay, there's a woman outside here to meet you," she informed the young adult.

Jinja looked panicked. "I-Is it my mother?" she asked tentatively.

The doctor shook her head. "No," she answered. "This woman says her name is Joyce. Should I let her in?"

Jinja's eye widened, but not in fear, Chase noticed. No, her sky blue orbs held something akin to excitement. He wondered who in the world this woman was. "Send her in," she confirmed with barely contained anxiousness. The doctor nodded and left the room. She turned to her friends, guilt shining in her eyes. "Guys, I don't want to be rude, but could you all leave for a second? I just want to be with her alone."

Bren and Dax looked like they wanted to protest, but Beyal simply nodded. "Of course, Jinja. Come along friends." He practically dragged his two friends out by their ears, making Jinja and and Chase glance at each other awkwardly at the scene.

Chase shuffled nervously. "I guess I should be going too..." Though, he really didn't want to.

"Chase wait."

Chase felt his heart stop as her turned around to face the brunette, noticing her head was down and her cheeks were tinted pink. "Yeah?"

Jinja raised her head up to meet his gaze. "Can... can you stay?" She managed a small small as she reconciled the few bright moments in her childhood. "Joyce... she was the maid when I lived with _them_. She was the only one who showed me any affection and didn't hit me growing up. She's like a mother to me. I... I really want you to meet her."

Chase seemed to consider this for a minute before nodding. "Of course," he answered, sitting back down in the chair.

OoOoOo

A pretty, middle-aged woman with long brown hair soon entered the room. Upon seeing Jinja, her face broke out into a wide grin and tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "Oh, Jinja," she muttered, bringing the young girl in for a tight embrace.

Jinja also had tears in her eyes. "Joyce..." she murmured into the woman's hair. "Long time, no see, huh?"

The woman, Joyce, pulled back and kissed the top of Jinja's head. "I've missed you, sweetheart."

"I missed you too, Joyce." Chase shifted on his feet nervously, not wanting to interrupt the surprisingly tear-jerking reunion. Jinja seemed to notice this because she gestured to him. "Joyce, this is Chase Suno," she announced. "One of my best friends."

Chase rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Nice to meet you, ma'am," he greeted politely. This woman obviously meant a lot to Jinja, so he made sure he was on his best behavior, that included manners which he definitely didn't use very often.

Joyce smiled warmly at him. "Very nice to meet you too, young man. How long have you and Jinja known each other?"

"Oh, feels like decades," joked Chase, making the girl in the hospital bed glare at him. "but we've known each other for seven years... not in the most normal way either."

"Sounds like an interesting story," remarked Joyce. "Do tell."

Jinja chuckled. "Not as interesting as you might think, Joyce. But okay. Here's how it happened."

 _Flashback_

 _"Run, Bren, run!" shouted an eleven year old Chase as he ran as fast as he could down the street. He could feel himself giving out, but kept on pushing as if his life depended on it. Which, it kind of did. "Faster, B!" Perhaps defending your nerdy friend against three older, burly boys by calling them names wasn't the smartest idea, but he couldn't just let them humiliate his brother._

 _Young Bren, who was a few feet behind him, suddenly keeled over, holding his side. "Chase, I can't," he wheezed. "I think I have a cramp."_

 _"Crag," muttered Chase as he doubled back to help his friend. "Bren, they're coming, we gotta go."_

 _"Too late, losers," sneered a voice._

 _Chase gritted his teeth. "Get lost, Hider," he snapped._

 _The boy, Hider, approached menacingly. "I don't think so, Suno. You see, you disrespected me and my friend over here. You ought to be taught a lesson on how to treat your superiors."_

 _Bren stood to his full height trying to look menacing, but failing greatly. "Being our superiors implies that you're better than us," he stated. "That seems false to me."_

 _"Not helping, B," muttered Chase nervously as he saw the two boys get even angrier._

 _"Why don't you fight someone who can fight back?" All four boys turned to see a girl their age with long brown hair and bright blue eyes._

 _Hider sneered. "Who, girly, **you**?" he snorted._

 _Jinja clenched her fist and before anyone knew it, Hider's friend was on the ground and Hider himself was thrown into a wall. "Yeah, me," she snapped. "Now **leave**."_

 _"Freak!" yelled Hider as he and his friend retreated._

 _Jinja put her hands on her hips in satisfaction before turning to the remaining two. "Are you boys okay?" she asked, holding a hand out to either of them._

 _Chase immediately took it and stood up, grinning stupidly at the girl. "We're fine," he assured her. "Thanks for the help though." He nudged the brunette boy next to him._

 _Bren adjusted his glasses before smiling shyly. "Yeah, thanks," he muttered. "What's your name anyway?"_

 _"Jinja. Yours?"_

 _"I'm Chase," said Chase. "and this is Bren."_

"And that was the start of a beautiful friendship," finished Chase dramatically in the present. "Since then, me, Jin, and Bren stuck together through everything, then we met Dax and Beyal and the rest is history." Jinja rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile fondly at the memory. That had been the day she had found her real family.

Joyce, on the other hand, was beaming. "That's my Jinja," she stated proudly, caressing said girl's cheek. "Such a good girl."

Jinja blushed. "Joyce, how did you even know I was here?" she asked. "And how did my parents for that matter?"

Something flashed in the woman's eyes when Jinja uttered the word 'parent,' but as soon as it was there, it was gone. "They were contacted as soon as you were brought in. By law, STORM has to contact your immediate family. I heard and followed them here. Of course, they don't know I'm here."

Jinja nodded, knowing that her parents' abuse didn't just extend to herself. "I'm glad you're here," she spoke softly. "I'm sorry I left you." That was her only regret in running away all those years ago.

Joyce ran a hand through the girl's brown locks. "You did what you had to," she insisted firmly. And somehow, that made everything alright.

OoOoOo

 **Well, that was longer than I expected. Anyway, please review and I'll see you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I am so glad you guys find Jinja's parents interesting, I'm usually horrible with villains. Anyway, please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

 _She screamed. She screamed until her throat hurt. She screamed herself raw, hoping that someone, anyone would come to her aid. Alas, no one heard such screams. No one even knew of her existence. She was alone. She'd always be alone. There was no one to come rescue her, to save her from her own personal hell. She had no salvation from this nightmare._

 _But maybe... maybe she didn't need anyone to save her. Maybe, just maybe, she could save herself._

* * *

Jinja woke up to an aching in her throat and gave a little cough in response. Well, damn. Had she been screaming in her sleep? That's never happened before. Well, it had. Back when she had first escaped. Since then, the nightmares had been under control. Or, she thought they had. Maybe being around her parents had triggered something inside her.

She sighed and turned her head to the side, feeling her heart drop slightly as she noticed Chase wasn't there. Jinja immediately scolded herself for that. She couldn't expect him to stay with her every night now that she was conscious, that would be incredibly selfish of her. Still, she couldn't help but let disappointment wash over her at the sight of the empty chair.

"Oh, you're awake."

Jinja's eyes glanced at the door and she felt her heart flutter. "Chase," she acknowledged. "I thought you went to your own room."

Chase grinned. "Sorry, Jin, can't get rid of me that easily." He held out a bag towards her. "I brought you breakfast."

Jinja took the bag, smiling lightly. "Chase, you really didn't have to do that."

Chase shrugged. "I wanted to," he replied simply.

Jinja felt herself blush, but scolded herself once again. _He's just being nice, Jinja. There's no way he'd interested in you like that._ Still, she couldn't help but acknowledge the fact that the cafeteria was all the way on the other side of the building. "Well, thank you anyway," she said gratefully. She took a warm container out of the bag to reveal oatmeal with various fruit in it. "No one knows me better than you, huh?"

Chase grinned. "Guilty," he admitted. "The doctor said you'd be able to check out soon, right? You excited about that?"

Jinja shrugged. "I guess."

Chase regarded her strangely, that wasn't like the girl he knew at all. "Jin, a few days ago, you couldn't wait to get out of here," he recalled. "Why the sudden mood change?"

"I don't know." She honestly didn't.

Taking a chance, Chase took her smaller hand in his. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked gently.

Jinja tensed at the sudden contact, but relaxed. "I guess... I'm just worried," she confessed. "I spent years running from my parents, you know? But now they know where I am."

Realization flashed in Chases eyes. "You're scared."

Jinja looked at him in shock. "What? _No_." She giggled nervously. "Of course not. I'm not scared of anything." _Liar,_ the voice from before sounded in her head. _Didn't we just go over this?_

Chase smiled slightly at her. "Yes, you are," he insisted. "but that's okay. Everyone's afraid sometimes. Jinja, even me."

Jinja crossed her arms. "Well, not me." Despite this, she laughed. "Damn, Chase, when did you get so smart?"

Chase grinned once again. "I think you're rubbing off on me."

OoOoOo

A few days later, Jinja was released from the medical ward. She was still on antibiotics and pain killers, but she mostly only used the former. And she only used those because they were mandatory. She didn't particularly care for pills. At least, not anymore. On a brighter note, she found that Chase was right, she was happy to be released. She'd never been too fond of hospitals.

Jinja was still barred from missions, however, much to her dismay. Though, ever since Eklipse and Charlemagne were locked up, there wasn't much Monsuno activity anyway, so she supposed she wasn't really missing out.

The days she spent on leave, she was mostly with Joyce. The two had been catching up on all the years they missed with each other. Jinja would recount the adventures as a part of Team Core-Tech and Joyce would listen patiently. This went on for a few days before Jinja decided to change it up. "Hey, Joyce?" she asked one day as the two sat in the cafeteria.

"Yes, love?"

Jinja tilted her head to the side. "How did you end up working for my parents anyway?" she questioned.

Joyce's blue eyes looked askance before she answered, "I was about sixteen when I found myself pregnant. I desperately needed money and your _parents_ offered me a job." The way she spat out 'parents' sent shivers down Jinja's spine, but she figured it was due to the fact that they weren't really parents towards her. "As you know, they are very wealthy, so I took it."

Jinja raised an eyebrow. "And the baby?" she inquired. "What happened to it?"

Joyce lowered her head. "I lost it."

Jinja suddenly felt guilty for asking. "I'm sorry," she uttered gently. "I shouldn't have asked."

Joyce gave her a sad smile. "It's alright, darling." But when Jinja looked into the woman's eyes, she noticed a few crucial details. She wouldn't meet Jinja's eyes and her hands were fidgeting.

 _She was lying._

OoOoOo

"Jinja, are you sure?" asked Chase when Jinja explained everything to him. She seemed tense, a bit jumpy as well. This wasn't like her at all. Chase gently grabbed her shoulders, trying to stop her pacing. "Maybe you misread her? I mean, it's happened before, right? Why would Joyce lie about something like that?" He didn't want to upset her even more, so he was treading carefully.

Jinja whipped around to face him, stopping in her tracks. "Chase Suno, the last time I read someone wrong was when we were sixteen," she said sternly. "I know when people are lying. We've been tricked so many times, I've started studying people's faces. I know when someone's lying. And I spent ten years with Joyce, I definitely know when _she's_ lying."

Chase seemed to consider this. "Maybe she just doesn't want to talk about it," he suggested. "It could be, like, really painful or something."

"I guess you're right..." Jinja shook her head, berating herself for her doubts about the woman. "Joyce was the first person I ever trusted, I won't change that now."

Chase nodded in understanding. "How are you feeling?" he asked, changing the subject.

Jinja tilted her head to the side. "My side still hurts a bit, but other than that, I'm fine," she answered, then smirked. "How are things of the field? Are you getting your asses kicked without me?"

Chase smiled at her obvious eagerness to get back in the fray. "Quiet," he responded. "We stopped a couple of dealings, but that's pretty much it. We also stopped some kids from getting into it. Don't know how they got cores, they had no idea what they were doing."

Jinja giggled. "That sounds familiar," she chimed.

Chase shrugged, unfazed. "Hey, we didn't have a choice."

Jinja hummed in thought. "True," she agreed. "but I wonder where these people are getting cores. We shut Eklipse and all those other guys down. What color were they?"

"That's the thing," said Chase. "they were all different colors. Some were red, others were orange. I even saw some green ones. The green ones are being brought in for testing."

"But no blue ones?"

Chase shook his head. "No blue ones," he confirmed.

"Which means that they weren't made by Core-Tech," continued Jinja. "Those green ones sound troubling."

"From what I've seen, they're unstable," Chase told her. "We have no idea where we came from or who made them."

Jinja bit her lip, lost in her thinking. Who besides STORM and Eklipse would have the money and the resources to create cores let alone new ones? "I'll look over the file tonight," she said. "You need someone to look at it with a fresh pair of eyes and it'll give me something to do around here." She smiled. "Besides, I scored the highest on that part of the testing."

Chase vaguely recalled the mental and physical tests the five of them took upon their admittance to STORM. He himself had the best leading skills, Bren had the highest technology score, Beyal knew the most about herbs and plants, Dax's fighting was the best, and Jinja excelled on the problem solving and detective work parts. "That's right, you did. I'll give it to you tonight."

Jinja smiled at him and glanced at the clock. "Crag, I have to go. See you, Chase!" She waved at her friend and ran off.

Chase waved back. "Bye Jin..." He couldn't help the goofy grinned that adorned his face as she left.

OoOoOo

Jinja sipped her coffee as her eyes scanned the file later that night. She was actually glad for this, even if it wasn't on the field. It preoccupied her and took her mind off the pain. Still, she was having a difficult time finding what she needed to find. All the file said was that a couple of kids were fooling around with green cores and that certain people were selling them on the street.

She groaned, tangling her hand in her hair. There was literally almost no information to go on, why did she think she could do any better than the rest of Team Core-Teach and STORM Strike Squad put together? Sighing, Jinja closed her eyes and opened them again, glancing back at the file. She grinned when she saw a shadow in the corner of one of the pictures taken.

Apparently, it was a picture of the kid actually being sold the core. There was a figure a little ways from the kid and she brought it up on the computer. "Computer, enhance image," instructed Jinja. "Now, enlighten." It didn't do much, but she was able to bring up a corner of the man's face. All she could tell was that he was tall with pale skin and was smirking.

She gasped as she realized that she knew that smirk. It was a smirk she had feared all her life. It was a smirk that haunted her dreams every night. It was a smirk she never wanted to see again.

It was the smirk of her father.

She stared at the picture for a moment before shooting up and taking off down the hall. " _CHASE_!" she shrieked as she ran towards his room.

OoOoOo

"Jin, are you sure?" asked Chase. She had barged into at four in the morning, basically shouting about the breakthrough she'd made.

Jinja nodded. "I'm positive," she insisted firmly. Maybe she was being a little high-strung here, but she knew what she was talking about. As a STORM elite, they had to trust her word. "Chase, I had too look at that smirk for eleven years. I still see that smirk in my nightmares. That is Dr. Byron Faustus. He's our new dealer." She peered at him expectantly. "You trust me, right?"

"Of course I do," Chase assured her. "but we have to be absolutely sure before we go barging on this guy's door."

"The security feed from the time they visited," said Jinja suddenly. "We can compare the faces." She couldn't contain her excitement. Finally, those bastards would go down and pay for the harm they've caused everyone. Finally, she could go to bed knowing she was safe from them forever.

Chase nodded. "Sounds good," he agreed. "Let's go."

OoOoOo

The two got to the security room and set the footage to the date Jinja woke up in the medical wing. As soon as two heads of jet black hair walking up to the receptionist and ask for her name. After they did this, both the man and woman turned around and Jinja let out a high pitched yelp. It was the first time she had seen their faces anywhere but her nightmares in eight years.

She had remembered them both down to the nose. Her mother's cold, piercing green eyes, her father's twisted, mental smirk. What had she been thinking? She wasn't ready to see their faces, she'd barely been ready to hear their voices! Jinja tried taking deep breaths to calm herself, but everything seemed to be closing in on her. It felt like there was an elephant crushing her chest.

She _couldn't_ breathe.

"Jin? Jinja!"

Jinja snapped out of her trance and turned to face Chase who had his hands on her shoulders. "What?"

Chase sighed in relief. "You freaked on me," he told her. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Jinja assured him. "I'm fine. I just-" She took a deep breath. "I just wasn't expecting to see their faces so soon."

Chase nodded in understanding. "Why don't we bring up the picture you saw?" he suggested.

Jinja nodded and brought it up on the computer. "It's the same," she stated. "My father is the new core dealer."

OoOoOo

 **Alright, be honest, how many of you saw that coming? Well, let me just say that's not the true mystery of this story. I was going to reveal it here, but I think I'll wait... Anyway, please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I am so happy you're all loving this story! Unfortunately, though, I think it's coming to a close. I suspect it'll be done in about three chapters. Anyway, please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

 _"Ow," groaned the little girl in pain, blood littering her body. Realizing she was alone, she let the tears fall. If she cried in front of her parents, the punishments would get worse. No, it was better to cry in her own company. There were no consequences when she was by herself. Still, she somehow managed to despise herself for crying at all._

 _"Oh, my darling."_

 _She turned her head to meet a pair of blue eyes. She tried to say the woman's name, but it came out incoherently. The girl wiped at her eyes, hoping the woman didn't see her crying._

 _The woman immediately lowered the girl's hands, cradling the child's small body in her arms. "You'll be alright, sweetheart," she vowed, more to herself than the little girl. "You'll get out of her one day. I promise."_

 _The girl nodded slowly. "Can you-?" she managed, but cut herself off, glancing away._

 _"Yes, my flower?"_

 _The girl looked embarrassed. "Can you sing to me?" she asked._

 _The woman smiled gently and nodded. " Hush, little baby, don't say a word," she began to sing softly. "Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird." The girl smiled before her eyes drooped and she slipped into unconsciousness._

* * *

"Well, it seems your instincts were proven right yet again, Jinja," praised Commandant Marshall Ace as he brought up the information from the arrest of her parents. "We found considerable amounts of Monsuno essence traces both your mother and father, as well as throughout their house. We've even uncovered a hidden bunker beneath their house. True, it was almost empty, but we managed to recover this." He held up a green Monsuno core.

Jinja fidgeted nervously. "And this is enough to put them away?"

Ace nodded. "The evidence is substantial," he confirmed. "Though, something is troubling me..."

Jinja tensed, fearing there was something wrong. "And what would that be?" she asked, trying to keep a straight face.

Ace regarded her before elaborating, "When you were brought to the infirmary, you refused to see your parents, even had a few STORM elites escort them out." This whole situation was strange to him. Any normal child, no matter how rocky the relationship was, would do anything to cover for their parents, but she was the first to bring them to justice. "And now, this? Is there any specific reason you want them behind bars, Jinja?"

Her blue eyes shifted as Jinja avoided eye contact with the commandant. "I wanted to do the right thing," she responded vaguely.

"Yet, you hardly hesitated when you found out it was your father," Ace shot back. "Why is that?"

"My parents are horrible people," she told him. "I take it that the privacy policies _you_ came up with allows me to leave it at that, _sir_."

If Ace was insulted by her tone, he didn't show it. "Very well, Jinja," he accepted. "You may leave now. You parents' trial is set one month from today." Jinja nodded, but said nothing as she took her leave. As soon as she left, he spoke into his intercom, "Beverly? Can you add child abuse on the Faustus' charge?"

OoOoOo

Chase was waiting for her as she walked out of the office. "So?" he asked expectantly, getting up from the chair to face her. "How'd it go?" He had been nervous to let his friend confront Ace without him there, but she had been adamant. That was his Jinja, he mused with a silly grin forming on his face. As strong and independent as ever.

Jinja shrugged at him. "Good, I guess," she answered.

Chase frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern shining in his eyes.

"Nothing," Jinja lied.

"Jinja..."

Without warning, Jinja brought him in for a tight hug, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "I don't know," she admitted. "They're going away, probably for life. I should be happy, right? So how come I'm not?"

Chase blushed at the sudden contact, but wrapped his arms around her. "Jin, no one expects you to get over this just because they're locked up," he told her, hoping that was the right thing to say. She didn't respond, simply clung to her to her friend. "Do you want to go see Joyce?"

Jinja nodded before pulling away. "Yeah, I promised to go with her to lunch, didn't I?" She gave a hollow laugh. "See you later, Chase."

Chase smiled and waved at her retreating form. "Yeah... see you."

OoOoOo

Jinja was making her way to the cafeteria when loud alarms sounded in the air, red lights blazing. _**Warning, code red. Prisoner has escaped. Building going on lock down.**_ Dread filled her stomach as she came to the conclusion that one of her parents had somehow gotten out. She should have known, they were both too smart to be kept in custody long.

What happened next was a blur to her. She heard a gun go off and she felt a sharp pain in her right shoulder. Trying desperately to keep conscious, she noticed a black haired woman standing in front of her. _Mother..._ she thought as she fell to the ground.

Her mother smirked and walked over to the young adult, looking down at her. "They're going to catch me," she stated. "but I had to do this. I had to kill you myself before they got the chance." Suddenly, there was a loud clang before her mother was rendered unconscious. She was thoroughly confused by this, but didn't have time to ponder this before she was being cradled in someone's arms.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word," sang a soft voice. "Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird..."

"J-Joyce," Jinja managed to get out, recognizing the voice from when she was younger.

"Please don't leave me," begged Joyce as she stopped singing, coming into the girl's vision. "I need you, Jinja."

"Joyce, I don't-" Jinja felt herself slipping away, her breaths becoming shorter and shorter.

"Shh," shushed Joyce. "Don't talk, my darling."

" _Jinja_!" She knew that voice. That was Chase.

"Oh my god," breathed Bren.

"What the hell did you do?" demanded Dax towards the woman currently cradling her.

Joyce didn't seem to pay them any mind. "I would never hurt you," she promised. "I'm your mother." And with that, Jinja's whole world came crashing down around her with those three simple words. Her eyes went wide as she stared at the woman who had always been there. Unfortunately, she barely had time to process this as she finally blacked out.

OoOoOo

Team Core-Tech watched in horror as they watched paramedics wheel Jinja into the emergency room. Joyce had disappeared soon after, no one knowing where she had went and none of Team Core-Tech really caring. Mrs. Faustus had been apprehended immediately afterwards, both she and her husband being locked up in cells with much more security.

Chase, not for the first time since Jinja had fallen at the club, wondered why this was happening to her. Jinja might be bossy and self-righteous and a bunch of other things from time to time, but she had a kind heart and meant well. It wasn't fair that she had to deal with everything life had thrown at her. He might have found it funny if one of his best friends wasn't fighting for her life.

He was angry, angry for what she had to go through. She had lived her own personal hell for years. She endured everything those two sorry excuses for parents had put on her. And when she finally escapes, those bastards still had the last laugh with _this_. He wondered how the world could be so cruel towards a girl who didn't deserve any of it.

He hated them, both of them. Chase had never really hated anyone so vividly before. Sure, Eklipse and Charlemagne were evil and crazy, there was no doubt about that. But Jinja's parents were absolute monsters and he sincerely hoped they burned in hell where they belonged.

It felt like decades before the doctor finally came out. Chase immediately stood up, the others quickly following suit. "Is she alright?" he asked. It had been utterly nerve wracking sitting in that chair, not knowing if Jinja would make it out alive.

"Miss Kay will be fine," the doctor assured them. "The bullet didn't hit anything vital and we were able to stop her from losing too much blood. Now, she's stable and awake, would you like to see her? She's been asking for you, Mr. Suno. Though, I do ask that you keep it one at a time as to not overwhelm her." Chase turned back to his friends, knowing that they were just as worried as he was.

"Well, go on, Suno," urged Dax. "She's waitin' for you."

Beyal nodded in agreement. "Jinja needs you right now, Chase Suno," he said wisely.

"Are you sure?"

"Chase, _go_ ," Bren encouraged. That was all he needed before turning back to the doctor and following her out of the waiting room.

OoOoOo

Jinja felt herself relax when she saw a familiar face walk through the door. "Chase," she breathed out in relief. Despite having just been being shot, she wasn't feeling weak or anything like that. She just wanted Chase.

Chase approached her. "Hey, Jin," he greeted. "How are you feeling?"

Jinja shrugged. "I've felt worse," she admitted in an attempt to lighten the mood. She twiddled her thumbs on her lap knowing what they should talk about, but not really wanting to.

"So," began Chase. "about Joyce..."

"It makes sense," Jinja cut in. "She was always there, you know? Just taking care of me when I was hurt, feeding me, that sort of thing. I don't know how I never realized it before, I look almost exactly like her."

It was true. He hadn't noticed it upon the woman's arrival, but everything about Joyce just screamed Jinja. From her eyes, to her hair, to the light freckles dusted across her face. "None of us did," was all he could say.

"Where is she, anyway?"

Chase looked away. "We don't know." He liked Joyce well enough, but he couldn't believe she had just left her like that. He couldn't leave Jinja on a daily basis let alone when she was bleeding to death with a bullet in her shoulder.

Jinja sighed. "I figured." As much as she loved Joyce, she hadn't always been there. When she was receiving her... 'punishments,' Joyce never intervened. Not even once. She wasn't angry, she'd never ask someone to risk their lives for her. "Thank you, Chase." He was different. He'd _always_ been there for her when she needed him.

"For what?"

Jinja shifted her gaze to his sea green eyes. "Everything."

Feeling a bit brave, Chase took her hand in his. "I'd do anything for you, Jin," he swore. And he meant it too. Whatever she needed, he was there. "You know that, right?"

Jinja blushed, trying to convince herself that he meant it as a concerned friend. But no one looked at friend like _that_ , no matter how concerned they were. "Yeah," she answered. "I guess I do..." _Get a grip, Kay,_ she berated herself. Chase was a friend, just a friend. No more, no less. "Did they catch my... mother?" She had to force out that last part, especially in light of new information.

Chase nodded. "Yeah," he told her. "They moved them both to omega level security. They're not getting out any time soon."

Jinja smiled. "Well, that's a relief." She squinted at Chase, noticing his left eyebrow was twitching, something it always did when he was hiding something. "Chase, what aren't you telling me?"

Chase bit his lip. It really wasn't his place, but it was better that she learn it from him than someone else. "Well, Marshall Ace added something to your parents police report," he started slowly, looking for a reaction out of her.

Jinja raised an eyebrow. "Really?" A terrible feeling suddenly came over her, but she couldn't understand why. "What?"

Chase sighed before giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "He added child abuse to their report," he told her gently, hoping she wouldn't be too upset.

Jinja jolted as if she'd been shocked. "He _what_?" she screeched, her heart monitor picking up speed. "What would he-" Her eyes narrowed. "You didn't tell him, did you?" She didn't think he would, but she had to make sure. With how many times she'd been deceived in her life, it made her wary of even the closest people to her at times.

The young man quickly shook his head. "Of course not," he assured her. He'd never betray her trust. "But Ace is real smart, you know. It must've been something you did that made him suspicious."

Jinja nodded, accepting this answer. "I mean, I did turn in my own parents," she reasoned. She then frowned. "I just don't think I can go through with this..."

Chase looked at her questioningly. "With what?" he asked.

Jinja sighed; she adored Chase, she really did, but sometimes he was so dense. "Chase, now that this is on their report I'll have to testify in court against them," she told him, staring at the ceiling with a blank look on her face.

OoOoOo

 ***sigh* I guess I'm not as good with suspense as I thought I was. I still can't believe y'all guessed Joyce was her mom, but not that her father was the core dealer. XD Anyway, please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello all you lovely people! Welcome to chapter six! As I said before, this story is coming to a close (insert said face here). I predict there are one or two chapters left. I have to say, I really had fun with this story! Unlike some of my other works, I'm actually really proud of this one. Anyway, please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

 _The man sneered at the little girl who was currently curled into a ball on the cold steel floor as if she were a piece of gum on his show instead of the human being she was. "Pathetic," he spat at her disdainfully. "I can't believe you're my daughter." The girl chose to stay silent, only adding to the fury of her father._ _He added a swift kick to her side, making her wince in pain._

 _The woman next to him rolled her eyes. "Make sure you shower and get dressed before we get back," she reminded the girl. She leaned down next to the small child, her mouth close to the girl's ear. "And do something with that atrocious hair of yours."_

 _The girl nodded. "Yes, Mother." She was quiet before adding, "May I hug you goodbye?" It was a risky move on her part, but it would be worth it if it worked. If it didn't, well, she supposed she could go without food for a few more weeks._

 _Her mother studied her a moment before nodding. "I suppose that would be acceptable," she allowed. The girl sighed in relief, wrapping her arms around her mother for a mere few seconds. "Alright, that's enough."_

 _The child let go and her parents left her alone. A few seconds passed before a victorious grin spread across as she held up a single bobby pin._

* * *

"Wait, _what_?"

Jinja sighed, pressing her fingers to the sides of her head. "If Ace added child abuse to my parents' charge, then they'll need the testimony of the child they abused," she explained. "I'm the only witness, if I don't testify, they won't be charged with it." She was at odds wit herself over this. On one hand, the logical part of her reasoned that if she did testify, her parents would finally get what they deserved for ruining her life. The emotional part of her argued that they were already going to jail, there would be no point in her testifying against them.

 _Besides,_ that part of her added. _are you really ready to face them?_

Chase didn't really know what to say to that. "You don't have to if you don't want to... right?" he asked uncertainly.

Jinja bit her lip. "No, I don't think so..." She groaned, tugging at her hair. "Ugh, I really can't stand this."

Chase was silent for a moment before speaking again, "I think you should."

His female companion turned to face him, her eyes wide. "What? Why?"

Chase took her hand in his. They both blushed, but neither let go. "I know they'll go to jail either way," he began. "but they're going to jail because they're core dealers, not for what they did to you. Jin, if you did this, you'd win. They'd _lose_."

Jinja would be lying if she said he didn't catch her interest with that; she did like to win and she definitely wanted to see her parents lose for once. He knew just how to appeal to her, she realized with a smile. Still, "Chase, it was one thing seeing my father on the security footage or my mother before she shot me, but actually _facing_ them in a courtroom?" She shook her head. "I-I just don't know if I can do it."

"I think you can."

Jinja rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from turning upwards. "Well, if you believe in me, I must be able to do it," she muttered sarcastically.

"Of course you can," Chase insisted, dead serious. "I guess the question is, do you _want_ to?" He really hoped he was saying the right thing.

She bit her lip, mulling over his words. Maybe he was right. Maybe this was her trying to avoid the inevitable. If she wanted to be free - truly free - she was going to have to do this. It wasn't even about sending them to prison anymore. She had to face them, show them that they couldn't hurt her anymore. She needed this, she knew that.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Jinja looked up at him, her eyes shining with determination. "I'll try," she promised.

OoOoOo

After a few days, Jinja was free to leave, but had to keep her arm in a sling for a while. She was irritated by this, of course, since it meant she couldn't go on missions yet again. The trial date for her parents was set for two weeks from then, so she spent her newly found free time preparing what she was going to say. She would practice for days at a time what she was going to say in the mirror.

As the date for the trial grew closer, she grew more nervous. Chase tried to help her as much as he could, playing the part of the audience for her. "Go on, Jin," he coaxed softly.

Jinja took a deep breath, clenching her note cards tight in her hand. "My name is Jinja Kay," she read aloud, her voice wavering. "formerly Jinja Faustus. For as l-long as I c-can remember, I-" She stopped suddenly, her chest heaving as she began to hyperventilate. Her hands were shaking as she recounted all the years of abuse in her head. Chase was wrong, she _couldn't_ do this.

Chase immediately stood up and took her face in his. "Hey, take a deep breath," he soothed. "You've got this."

Jinja looked into his eyes and clenched her fist, promptly flinging her note cards across the room. "My name is Jinja Kay," she repeated more firmly. "When I was six, my father broke my arm. What for? I can't remember, but I can barely throw a ball across the room. When I was five, my mother told me I'd never be pretty enough..." And so it went. Jinja recalled every little bit of abuse from her parents she could remember. By the time she was finished, tears were rushing down her face and her face was red.

She hadn't even registered the fact that Chase had pulled her into his chest and was holding her as they sat on the bed. "I-I can't do this," sobbed Jinja, clinging to his shirt.

"Shh," Chase shushed into her ear. Tears of his own her rolling down his face. "You don't have to. You're okay."

"I'm such a disappointing, weak, worthless-"

"Shh," he cut her off gently. "Don't say that. You're perfect." Well, she was imperfect, but that was what made her perfect to him. She didn't answer him, just continued to cry into his chest. Everything she had been holding in for seven years seemed to come out all at once. After a while, her sobs began to subside and she resigned herself to sniffling.

Jinja finally pulled away from him, wiping at her face. "Sorry," she apologized, embarrassed that he had seen her cry.

Chase kept her close to him, adding to her embarrassment. "For what?" he asked, twirling her hair with his fingers before moving to take her chin.

Jinja, with her face red, tried to continue, "I-I must look like such a mess." She cursed herself for stuttering, especially when she realized it wasn't from how upset she was, it was from the fact that her knees were shaking from their close proximity. There was literally nothing on Earth that could make this situation any more humiliating for her.

"You look beautiful."

Well, that did it. Though, if she was being honest, humiliating wasn't the word for this. She was... flattered. Yeah, that was it. "Well, uh, thank you," she choked out.

 _Why did I say that, why did I say that, why did I say that? _Chase panicked in his head. He was just as, if not more so, embarrassed as her. _Ugh, she must think I'm a sappy dork!_ Not only that, the trial we a week away. She didn't need this extra pressure. He just couldn't help himself. Jinja was beautiful no matter what, but seeing her cry was entirely different altogether. He was just thinking about it and the words tumbled out of his mouth. _God, I'm such an idiot._

Jinja waved a hand in front of his face. "Chase, you okay?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and gave her a forced grin. "Yeah, I'm good." There was a slightly uncomfortable silence after that. Chase didn't make any movements to remove his arms from around her and Jinja didn't make a move to tell him to. So, they sat there together until they gradually fell asleep, him holding her as tight as possible and her pressing her hands against his chest.

OoOoOo

Jinja and Chase pretended nothing had happened between them (with the former avoiding the latter) for a few days before Chase got tired of it. He didn't want to avoid talking about what happened between the two of them and he'd be damned if he let her shut him out completely. "Jinja, we need to talk," he said firmly, cornering her one day.

Jinja plastered a fake smile on her face. "Yes, Chase? What can I help you with?" She decided to play dumb, hoping that he would just drop it. She hated doing that to him, but she couldn't deal with it this close to the trial.

Chase leaned in close to her. "You've been avoiding me," he whispered.

Jinja's cheeks adopted a like pink hue. "N-No, I haven't," she lied, cursing herself, once again, for stuttering. What was it about this boy that managed to break down her walls completely?

Chase sighed and gently took her hand in his. "Whatever I did, Jin, I'm sorry-"

Jinja held up a hand, cutting him off. "No, I'm sorry," she insisted. "I didn't mean to avoid you, I just-" She let out a frustrated growl. "Good lord, I don't know what I was doing. I've never done this before..."

Chase laughed. "Neither have I," he admitted. "Wanna figure it out together?"

A lovely smiled graced Jinja's face. "Yeah," she answered. "I do."

OoOoOo

It was finally the day of the trial. Jinja wore her nicest, most professional clothes. She was going to try her best to testify. She convinced herself that it was at least worth a try. If she could do it, they'd be locked away for the rest of their lives for what they did to her. If she couldn't, well, they'd still be locked away for being illegal core dealers. There was no way she could lose.

Besides, how could she with Chase there to support her? Even now, he was there holding her hand. "You're going to be fine," he assured her. "I promise." Jinja nodded and they took their seats in the courtroom. Of course, her parents hired the best lawyers money could buy, but STORM's attorney team was no joke. They would be going down no matter what she did.

Jinja drowned out the judge as he went over the details from the dealer case. She drowned out the various lawyers and simply gripped Chase's hand, until...

"The Jury calls Jinja Kay to the stand." Jinja breathed in deeply before making her way to the front of the courtroom. "Miss Kay, you've been in the custody of Mr. and Mrs. Faustus your whole life, correct."

She nodded. "Yes, Your Honor."

"How would you describe their guardianship?"

Jinja bit her lip, feeling her parents' smoldering gaze burn right through her. "L-Less than ideal, Your Honor," she answered.

"Explain, please."

"W-well, I..." She saw her father smirk smugly and her mother give a satisfied nod. They had won and they knew it. She hung her head. "I can't, Your Honor."

The judge nodded. "You may sit, Miss Kay." Jinja felt tears blur her vision as she sat back down next to Chase. She had failed. And her parents were raveling in the fact that she had.

Chase gently kissed her hand. "It'll be okay," he promised. "You did fine." She couldn't find it in herself to believe him.

"Is there anyone else who witnessed the abuse of Miss Jinja Kay?"

Suddenly, the door burst open. Jinja gasped and Chase's fingers curled tighter around her hand. "I did, Your Honor," said a strong voice.

It was Joyce.

OoOoOo

 **Well, that was a poor ass chapter... Guys, give me a break, I'm literally dying (not really, but my throat hurts like a bitch). School was hell today. Anyway, please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello eveyrone! Welcome to chapter seven! Wow, I can't believe it's almost the end to this story. I had so much fun writing this and I adore you all for your support! Anyway, please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

 _The little girl embraced the woman, the only person to ever show her kindness and affection. "I'm going to miss you," she muttered softly. Was she going to miss this place? Of course not. But the woman held a special place in her heart. "I still don't know why you can't come with me." Of course she knew why, she was just being immature and stubborn._

 _The woman chuckled, lightly stroking her hair. "It would be too risky, my flower," she explained. "You would be fine by yourself, but your parents have connections. They'd find us both in less than three weeks. It's better you go alone."_

 _The girl pulled away, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I don't want to..."_

 _Smiling, the woman kissed the girl's forehead. "Yes you do," she insisted, gently grabbing her shoulders. "Listen to me. There is a whole world out there for you. When you're finally free, you will do great things. Do you hear me? You'll blow us all away." There was an obvious pain in her eyes, but she did her best to put on a strong front for the girl._

 _The child resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "You say that all the time. I don't know why you think I'm so special." She hung her head in sadness. "My own parents don't even love me."_

 _Something akin to hatred flashed across the woman's face. "Your parents aren't right in the head," she snapped, then softened at the child's slightly hurt face. "When you get out there, promise me something."_

 _"Anything."_

 _The woman took her face in her hands. "Promise me that you'll find someone out there who loves you as much as I do."_

 _The girl frowned. "Mother says-"_

 _"I know what your mother tells you, Jinja," the woman cut her off. "and she's dead wrong. You're beautiful and anyone who can't see that is a fool. Promise me you'll find that person and you'll never let them go."_

 _Jinja nodded. "I will, Joyce," she vowed._

 _Joyce smiled sadly. "Now go," she urged. "and be careful."_

* * *

Jinja was silent as she watched the woman she'd grown up with confidently walk up to the stand. The Joyce she knew never had that much confidence, was never that sure of herself. The Joyce she knew had never stood up to her parents. She glanced at Chase for help, but saw he was just as lost as she was. They could only look to see what the woman would do.

"State your name please," instructed the judge.

"Joyce Hull."

"What is your connection to the defendants?" the judge asked.

"I was their maid for nineteen years, Your Honor," Joyce answered.

"And what is your connection to Miss Jinja Kay?"

Joyce seemed to look right at her. "I'm her mother, Your Honor."

The judge looked at her skeptically. "And how is that, Miss Hull, when she's been in the defendants' guardianship?" he asked.

Joyce stared at her parents with a look that was odd to see on the woman. It was one of disdain, disgust, and hatred all mixed into one. "They took her from me," she spat.

The judge nodded, not seeing it necessary to press more on the obviously sore subject. "And how would you describe their parenting?"

"Horrible," Joyce answered without hesitation. She pointed to Mr. Faustus. "He would use Jinja as his own personal punching bag. I can't tell you how many times I've had to tend to her injuries because of him." She turned to Mrs. Faustus, somehow pouring even more hate into her gaze. "And she would degrade my daughter, telling her she was ugly and would never find a boyfriend. And I'm sure she got a few hits in as well." She clenched her fists in visible anger. "Sometimes, she would go weeks at a time without eating."

Jinja didn't even realize she was gripping Chase's hand until he winced at how hard she was holding it. "Sorry," she whispered, loosening her grip.

"It's okay," he whispered back.

"And why did you not do something about this, Miss Hull?"

Joyce hung her head in shame. "I was afraid," she admitted. "I was a teenager when I had Jinja. I didn't have anywhere else to go and I knew that if we ran or I told anyone, we'd both be killed. They're merciless, Your Honor."

The judge seemed to take in this information. "We'll take a short recess," he decided.

OoOoOo

During the recess, Jinja approached her biological mother. "Y-You didn't have to do that," she said. She knew how terrifying her parents were and she knew how much danger they were putting themselves in by doing this. If her parents somehow escaped... She shuddered at the thought. No doubt they'd pick up just where they left off with her.

"Yes I did," insisted Joyce firmly. "I failed you so many times, Jinja. I needed to do this, I needed to do something right by you at least once."

Tears began to leak out of her eyes without her consent. "Thank you."

"I would do it again ten times over if I needed to," promised Joyce. "You deserved this, my flower."

Jinja nodded before the banging of a mallet was heard. "The recess is over," she realized. "We should probably go back in..."

OoOoOo

"The Jury has found you, Mr. and Mrs. Faustus, guilty of illegal technology experimenting and dealing and child abuse of a STORM elite," the judge informed the courtroom. "You've been sentenced to life in prison."

Jinja watched as two STORM officers dragged her parents away, a huge weight being lifted off her chest. Her mother glared at her and her father screamed death threats at the entirety of the room, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. They _lost_. They were finally paying for what they had done to her. She beamed widely as she turned to Chase. "We did it!" she shouted, launching herself into his arms.

Chase embraced her back, unable to keep the grin off his face. "They can never hurt you again, Jin," he uttered into her ear. He caught sight of Joyce over her shoulder and pulled away. "I think you have something to deal with"

Jinja turned around and nodded. "I'll meet up with you later," she said before walking over to her biological mother. "We need to talk."

"Yes, we do."

OoOoOo

"So, how did it happen?" asked Jinja as she and Joyce sat down on her bed. "Who's my father? How did you end up working for them?"

Joyce looked at her guiltily. "Your father is Faustus," she answered regrettably. "I was young, Jinja. I was naive. Your father was charming, handsome, and had a lot of money. So, I got involved with him." She chuckled hollowly. "But I didn't know he was married."

Jinja's eyes widened. "Mother," she breathed.

Joyce nodded. "Yes. Your mother was furious when she found out. But by that time, I was already pregnant with you. So, she made me a deal. They would take you and raise you as their own and I would work for them as their maid and watch you grow up from afar." Her eyes narrowed in anger. "What wasn't part of the deal was the abuse they put you through."

"I don't suppose it was."

Joyce flinched at the visible resentment in the girl's voice. "Jinja, I swear I thought you'd get to live a Cinderella life."

"Haven't you ever read Grimm's Fairy Tales?" snapped Jinja before sighing. "I'm sorry, Joyce. Please continue."

"I tried to leave with you numerous times," proceeded Joyce. "but they always caught us and threatened me with your life." She took her daughter's shoulders. "Jinja, they made me watch. Every time they tortured you, I was there. I saw everything."

Jinja looked at her with teary eyes. "I guess I get why Mother hated me," she admitted. "but how could a man do that to his own child?"

"Like I told you, my flower," said Joyce. "they're not right in the head. They enjoyed seeing us both suffer like we did." She suddenly smiled. "I'm glad that you kept your promise, though."

Jinja looked confused before she blushed. "Who, me and Chase?" She laughed unconvincingly. "We're just friends, Joyce. Really good friends."

"Jinja..."

"Okay, fine. Maybe we're a little more than friends..."

Joyce kissed the top of Jinja's head. "I'm glad he was there for you when I wasn't. And I'm glad he loves you as much as I do."

"Chase doesn't-"

"Darling, I can see it in his eyes whenever he looks at you," interrupted the woman. "You have to trust me, dear, a mother knows these things."

 _You aren't my mother,_ Jinja wanted to say, but thought better of it. Joyce had basically been her mother while she was growing up. The woman she had 'referred' to as mother regarded her as she would regard a piece of gum on her shoe. Without Joyce, she probably wouldn't have known what love felt like. She wouldn't have her friends and she wouldn't have Chase.

Jinja embraced her mother tightly. "I love you, Joyce."

"I love you too, my flower. So much."

OoOoOo

"So, how'd it go?" asked Chase when she approached him later.

Jinja smiled at him. "Well enough," she answered. She laughed at the irony that just hit her. "Can you believe that after all those missions and all those fights that we've been through, this all happens because we went to a club?" Who knew something so simple could set off such a chain of event? She supposed life was funny that way. Everything happened for a reason, after all.

"It's pretty weird, huh?"

Jinja giggled before pulling him in for a hug. "I owe you, Chase Suno. I never would have been able to do this without you." She was a strong, independent female, yes, but she wouldn't deny that Chase played a big part in locking up her parents.

"Yes you could have," Chase told her. "but I'm glad I could help."

"Chase?"

"Yeah, Jin?"

"What are we?"

Chase seemed to think about this. "We're us," he finally answered. "Me and you, Chase and Jinja."

Jinja smiled at him. "I guess labels aren't really our thing, huh?" She rested her forehead against his, enjoying the simplicity of it all. After the day she's had, she could use simplicity. They gazed into each other's eyes, sea green meeting sky blue. Unfortunately, their moment was interrupted.

"Chase! Jinja!"

The pair immediately jumped apart, coming face-to-face with their friends. "Guys," breathed Chase, a little annoyed at them for ruining the moment. "What are you doing here?"

"We heard about the trial," Bren told them. "And your parents, Jin." He obviously didn't know how to approach the subject. "Are they really...?"

"Core dealers?" guessed Jinja. "Yeah, they are."

"Rotten luck, Princess."

A ghost of a smile appeared on her face. "Thanks, Dax." Jinja realized that the resident monk hadn't said anything. "Beyal?" He was staring at her with an analytical look on his face. She realized something with dread clenching her stomach.

 _He knows._

OoOoOo

"How long have you known?" asked Jinja once she had gotten the monk alone. Just by that intense look in his gray eyes, she could tell he knew. For how long he had known, she wasn't sure. But it was apparent that he had known for a while. She was kicking herself for not noticing before. Of course Beyal would be the one to figure it out.

"Since a little after we met," answered Beyal, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You put up a good front, my friend, but your mental pain spoke volumes. Your thoughts were so strong that some of your memories were transferred to me before I could block them."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"It was not my place, Jinja Kay," he responded.

Jinja was quiet before questioning softly, "How much did you see?"

"All of it, I believe. Though, it was much of a blur."

Jinja nodded, accepting this answer. "Thanks for keeping my secret, Beyal."

OoOoOo

 **Well, next chapter's the epilogue. :( But I really did enjoy writing this. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review (1 Review=1 3)!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Well, everyone, it's that time! The end of the story! I know, I know, it's sad, but hopefully this won't be my last Monsuno fic. Please enjoy this epilogue.**

OoOoOo

She walks along the long, winding corridor as she's done many times before. There's an escort next to her, not that she needs one. The cells have maximum security and she was a highly trained elite. She'd be fine by herself. She looks among the various prisoners, observing them as they growl and glower at her. She pays their hostility no mind and stops in front of the cells she wants to visit. She nods at the escort to leave them alone, and he does.

Jinja sits cross-legged in front of the two cells. "Mother," she greets, looking at one before turning to the other. "Father." She lets her eyes scan over them, taking in their appearance. They're both significantly thinner and dirty, former shells of the prestigious, well-to-do couple she used to know them as. And she feels no shame in admitting that she takes great satisfaction in seeing them as so. They deserved this. They deserved to be locked up for the rest of their miserable lives.

"Jinja," they spat back at her.

Her mother, stepmother rather, seems to size her up. "You know what still confuses me, darling?"

Jinja knows exactly what she's doing, she's trying to manipulate her, get in her head. Well, after eleven years of that, she's not about to fall for it again. "And what is that, Mother?" she plays along.

Her stepmother got as close to her as the electric bars would let her. "After all we put you through, after insisting that you hate us again and again, you still visit us every single month," she answered. "And I ask myself, why? Why would she do that?" The woman smirks. "Unless, of course, your weak little heart _does_ , in fact, still love us."

Her blue eyes narrowed. "Don't flatter yourself, Mother," she hissed. "I visit the two of you out of pity, nothing more, nothing less. In fact, I never loved either of you. Get that through your head."

"Yet, you still call me Mother."

"Because I don't know what else to call you," Jinja admitted. "I thought you were my mother for most of my life. But make no mistake, Mother, I'm glad to see the two of you rotting in these cells like you deserve. This is even better than hiding from you. I get to see you suffer. I get to see you waste away in here."

Mrs. Faustus stared at her a moment before shrugging. "Whatever you say, my dear."

Jinja rolled her eyes before turning to the man in the cell next door. "Anything you want to add, Father?"

Mr. Faustus turned his head towards her before sneering. "I should have killed you long ago," he decided.

Jinja sighed, shaking her head. "Yeah, maybe you should have," she agreed. "Or maybe you should have treated as your daughter and not an object for you to smack around. But I guess we'll never know will we." She chuckled humorlessly. "You know, I actually owe a lot to you both. If it weren't for your abuse, I probably never would have met Chase or the others. I wouldn't have my family. So, thank you. You gave me the best gift."

"Burn in hell," snapped her father.

Rolling her eyes once more, Jinja turned to leave. "Sorry, that's what you'll be doing," she called over her shoulder.

OoOoOo

"Mamma, Mamma!"

Jinja smiled at the sight of the small three year old girl, taking the child into her arms. "Hey, Nugget!" she greeted, kissing her all over her face. The girl had freckles dusted over her cheeks and sea green eyes with sky blue fleck in them and long, black hair. "How was your day? Were you good for your father?" She looked around for said man. "Where is your father?"

Her daughter giggled. "I don't know," she lied.

Suddenly, they both were being lifted into the air. "Chase!" squealed Jinja as her daughter laughed. "Put us down!"

Chase obliged, setting his girls onto the ground. "Lea, go show your mother what we did today," he instructed the girl. Leann Suno nodded eagerly, rushing off. When he was sure their daughter couldn't hear him, he turned to his wife. "How did it go?"

Jinja shrugged. "Same as usual, I guess," she answered.

Chase sighed, taking her jacket off for her and putting it on the rack. "Why do you insist on going there every month?" he asked.

Jinja sat down on the couch, burying her head in her hands. "I don't know," came her muffled confession. "Every single time I visit, my mother tries to get in my head and my father curses at me. Why do I put myself through this?"

Chase was quiet before he spoke again, "Jin, I think you need to let go."

She was about to question him on what he meant when Leann burst into the room. "Mommy, look!" she urged. In her hands, she held a small, light purple card with the letters 'I Mommy' in glitter letters. "Daddy helped, a little bit."

Jinja shot Chase a smile. "Did he now?" She took the card in her hands. "Well, thank you, my flower." She kissed her daughter on the head before going to kiss Chase lightly on the lips.

Leann covered her eyes. "Ew!" she protested.

Jinja giggled before holding out a hand for her daughter to take. "Come on, I promised your grandmother we'd come by later."

Lea beamed at her. "Grandma Joyce!" she cheered.

OoOoOo

Jinja signaled for her mother to be quiet as she softly shut the door to the toddler's room. "Motherhood is hard," she said once she was sure the door was closed. "Mom, why is motherhood so hard?" Don't get her wrong, she loved her little nugget to pieces, but she seemed to take after her father; loud, excitable, and a bundle on energy.

Joyce shrugged, a smile on her face as they made their way to the living room and sat down on the couch. "Not sure, my flower." Her smile soon fell as she took her daughter's hand. "How did it go?"

Jinja shrugged. "The same."

"That's not an answer, Flower."

Jinja sighed, burying her head in her mother's shoulder. "Chase said I should let go, Mom," she muttered, pulling away. "What do you think he means by that?"

"He means you should stop seeing them."

That caught Jinja's attention. "What?"

Joyce took hold of her daughter's shoulders. "Flower, you see them every single month," she elaborated. "You've _been_ seeing them every single month for the past six years, since before Lea was born. Don't you think that's a little odd?"

"I do it because I feel bad."

Joyce shook her head. "No, Flower. You do it to remind yourself. You have to make sure that they're locked up. I saw that look you had the first time you went to see them after Lea was born. You had to be sure that they couldn't hurt you or her."

Jinja clenched her fists. "I'm coping," she grit out.

"No, you're not." Joyce brushed some hair out of her face. "You're just torturing yourself. You're letting yourself lose sleep over worrying about this. I think, Flower, that if it weren't for Chase you'd visit every week."

Jinja opened her mouth to argue, but closed it when she realized something. Her mother was right. She was _torturing_ herself. They were nothing, just two figures form her past. So _why_ was she taking a certain day out of the month to _visit_ them? They didn't deserve it. They didn't deserve to see her. They didn't deserve anything she gave them. She knew what she had to do.

"Watch Leann for me," was all Jinja said before she left.

Joyce stared at the spot where her daughter had just been. "Good luck, Flower," she whispered.

OoOoOo

Mrs. Faustus looked surprised to see her. "Darling," she greeted, cocking an eyebrow. "Back so soon? It hasn't been a month already has it?" She pursed her lips in mock thought. "No, if I recall correctly, you were here but a mere few hours ago." She smirked. "So what could it be, pray tell, that has you back here so soon, my darling?"

"Drop the act, Mother," spat Jinja, visible fury etched across her face. "I'm going to say something and for once in your lives, you are going to listen."

"Not like we have a choice," drawled her father.

Jinja ignored his comment. "This is going to stop," she decided. "All this time, I've been visiting you. I'm not sure what I wanted and I'm not sure what I got, but I'm _done_."

"Are you sure you don't know what you wanted, darling?"

Jinja met her icy gaze. "Actually, I think I do," she snapped. "I wanted your love, your approval. I wanted to think that now that you were behind bars you'd realize how wrong you were. Maybe you'd actually feel remorse." She laughed bitterly. "I must have been out of my goddamn mind. The two of you are evil, insane. You'll never change and I have to stop thinking you will."

"So, what are you saying?"

Jinja got as close to them both as she could. "I'm never visiting either of you again."

OoOoOo

Chase jumped slightly as his wife suddenly burst into the house. "Jinja, what-?" He cut himself off when he saw she was drenched and shivering. "Holy crag, Jinja!" He brought her into his arms, trying to warm her up. "Jinja, you're freezing! You're not even wearing a jacket! What the hell were you thinking? Where's Lea-?"

"Relax, she's still with my mom."

Chase eyed her suspiciously. "And where were you?" he demanded.

Jinja had the decency to look embarrassed. "I went to see them," she admitted.

"Jinja-"

She held up a hand, stopping him mid-sentence. "I know, I know. I just needed to do something." She was beaming widely at him, which made him smile despite the situation. "I let go, Chase."

He blinked at her. "You... what?"

"I let go," Jinja repeated firmly. "I stood up to them and told them in their faces that I was never visiting them again." Tears streamed down her face, but not tears of sadness. Tears of relief. "I'm done with them. I-"

Chase cut her off with a firm kiss to her mouth. "I'm so proud of you," he murmured against her lips. He sat them both on the couch with her on his lap, leaning against his chest.

Jinja giggled. "Thank you." She fingered the ring on her finger fondly. "Can you believe we're married?"

"I can believe that," replied Chase. "What I can't believe is that I managed to ask you."

She grinned at the memory. "I really thought you were about to pass out," she told him.

"I was afraid I would throw up on you."

"Thank god you didn't."

Chase looked sheepish. "Yeah... I'm pretty sure you would have said no if that happened."

Jinja shook her head. "Silly boy, I would have said yes no matter what," she insisted. "I'm glad I did though. Now I have an amazing daughter and wonderful husband and I wouldn't give that up for the world." She laughed sarcastically. "And to think, I have everything I've ever wanted from the Faustus'. Go figure." Of course she hated them, but if she had been raised in a loving family, she never would have met Chase and Bren. She never would have been apart of Team Core-Tech and she wouldn't have her perfect family.

Chase touched his nose to hers. "I love you."

Jinja smiled and nestled her face against his. "I love you too."

OoOoOo

 **Hey everyone! *quiet sobbing* I'm gonna miss you all so much! Writing this book has been so much fun! Usually, I give up about halfway through because I either a) lose interest or b) am not satisfied with the publicity or something like that. I know the ending was kind of sappy, but I'm a sucker for happy endings. Anyway, please review and have an awesome day!**

 **-Rose**


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